Chiefs Face Roster-Changing Decision On Stud Lineman

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Adam Schultz | Last updated Feb 17, 2025 4:51 PM ET

The Kansas City Chiefs' Super Bowl loss to the Philadelphia Eagles showed the biggest weakness for Andy Reid's team moving forward - the offensive line.

With the line chopping and changing throughout the season to the point where star guard Joe Thuney was pushed out to left tackle because the production from Wanya Morris, Kingsley Suamataia, and D.J. Humphries wasn't up to standard, the Chiefs now have a rather difficult period in front of them.

Reinforcing the line in front of Patrick Mahomes is key this offseason, but star guard Trey Smith is a free agent and is expected to be among the most sought-after.

And CBS Sports thinks he could be a franchise tag candidate, although it seems unlikely.

"The Chiefs are roughly $1 million over the salary cap, so they will need to rework their books before free agency," CBS Sports writes. "Starting left guard Trey Smith is set to be one of the more sought after interior linemen on the market this spring, and while Kansas City would like to retain him, it may be too costly to do that via the franchise tag."

The Chiefs can't afford to have their already weak offensive line get even worse, and if Smith is allowed to walk out the door, that is exactly what might happen.

But keeping him also could be tough, with Spotrac.com's market value at a cool $19.7 million APY and a projected contract of four years and $78 million.

That might be a little too rich for general manager Brett Veach, but when it comes to protecting No. 15, is there a price too high?

We're about to find out.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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